White Currants are closely related to Red Currants and need similar, sunny or partially shaded treatment. They will reward the soft fruit grower with a nice crop of sweet juicy fruit for gardeners pies and summer puddings.

What is a White Currant

• Ribes rubrum is the fruiting currant which can be red, yellow, pink or white.
• These currants are related to the Gooseberry
• White Currants make a fairly strong, vigorous, upright bush. The plant in the photo has been trained in a ‘U’ shape as a double cordon. This urn shape in a bush or cordon allows air to circulate and helps harvesting.
• White Versaillies has large light yellow and sweet fruit ready for harvesting early July. ‘White Grape’ AGM and ‘White Pearl’ fruit in summer.

Growing White Currants

• Plant currants when they become dormant towards the end of November or December.
• Propagate from ripe hardwood cuttings 10-12 inches long burried ¾ of the way into the ground. New roots will strike from a number of areas along the stem.
• You can also layer currants in autumn or spring as they root quite freely.
• Prune  all young side shoots to 5 leaves in June. In Autumn or winter cut back long shoots by one third.
• Snip strings of fruit with scissors (then separate them from the stalk with a fork)